Holidays can be stressful, especially preparing that special meal for your loved ones. Believe me, I get it! So let me help you reduce some of that stress by giving you a list of 35 easy and delicious Christmas Dinner Recipes. And yes, I’ve also included some incredible drinks to chill out with. 😉
Christmas only comes around once a year. And, of course, almost all of the family has off work and can get together. That’s why when our families get together, we truly want to provide a meal to remember. Let’s be honest; we want them to still be talking about the fabulous dinner we prepared when the next year rolls around.
Christmas Dinner Main Course Recipes
1. Meat Pie (Tourtiere)
This traditional French-Canadian meat pie is soul-satisfying and straightforward. The savory mix of beef and pork is an economical choice because it is mainly ground meat–no expensive steak here. Add mashed potatoes and double-yum! Even better, this tourtiere is traditionally served at room temperature, relieving some of the stress of having to have everything sync from oven to table.
2. Oven Pot Roast
This one-pot meal is so flavorful and super simple. The fall-apart tender pot roast creates its own deliciously amazing gravy. Oh, and the celery, carrots, and potatoes also ramp up the experience. Even better, slow roasting or braising is a fabulous way to turn cheaper tough cuts of meat into a melt-in-your-mouth tender meal. Oh yeah!
3. Instant Pot Country Style Ribs
The name country-style ribs can be a little misleading. They’re not ribs? No, they’re even better. They’re actually pork chops, and they are super cheap and meatier compared to regular pork. They also have the perfect amount of fat that helps them stay moist for a deliciously tender, fall-off-the-bone Christmas Dinner Recipe.
No Instant Pot? Check out my Oven Country Style Ribs.
4. Beef Wellington and Salmon Wellington
For this non-traditional Christmas dinner, you top a beef tenderloin in prosciutto slices and mushroom duxelles. Then you wrap it up in a flaky crust and serve it with a fabulicious wine-infused sauce. When you slice this deliciousness open, it’s quite a showstopper.
And if beef isn’t your thing, you can do the same thing with salmon in an impressive Salmon Wellington.
5. Pineapple Honey Baked Ham and Brown Sugar Glazed Ham
For a traditional Christmas dinner recipe, it doesn’t get better than ham. I love it so much that I have several recipes. All you have to do is decide which one you want to try this year. Pineapple Honey Baked Ham bursts with flavors from pineapple and spiced rum honey glaze. Oh my! And it’s as beautiful as it is delicious.
Another fave is my Brown Sugar Glazed Ham, completely enveloped in a mouthwatering brown sugar glaze. The perfect balance between sweet and salty. Drooling!
6. Prime Rib Roast
This holiday showstopper meal offers a gorgeous browned, crackly-crusted centerpiece for your Christmas dinner. Also, this recipe is super easy. Just start by searing it at a high temp, then let the oven do the work for you while you chat with your guests.
7. Broiled Lobster Tail
Oh my! Another impressive non-traditional Christmas dinner recipe. Okay, I understand. You can’t feed the entire family lobster for Christmas. But if your holiday dinner is just the four of you, this would be a comforting option. Even better, it’s incredibly fast and easy to make!
8. Pepperpot
Take a trip around the world with this popular holiday stew in Guyana. It’s simmered slow and low in a dark rich gravy flavored with cinnamon, brown sugar, and cassareep (brown sauce). Oh yeah! It’s so delicious and easy to make that most people don’t wait for Christmas anymore. One taste, and you’ll understand why! 😉
9. Smoked Turkey Breast
Do you want a traditional turkey for your Christmas dinner but don’t want boatloads of leftovers? This perfectly tender smoked turkey breast is wonderfully moist and super simple to make. And don’t worry if you don’t have a smoker because I explain how you can smoke it with your charcoal grill. Double yay!!!
10. Spiced Roast Turkey
Wanna spice up your Christmas dinner with a super flavorful recipe? Then this is it! A dry-brined whole roasted turkey kicked up a few notches with intense flavor from herbs, garlic, ginger, and spices. Feel the ecstatic euphoria of pulling a perfectly roasted bird from the oven and hearing the appreciative oohs and ahhs from your guests.
11. Baked Spatchcock Turkey
Spatchcocking has recently become quite the rage. And I understand why! You can cut the roasting time down to a fraction and still have an exciting centerpiece for your Christmas Dinner. This recipe gives you a juicy, tender, and exquisitely crispy holiday turkey for a mouthwatering feast. Don’t let the process scare you because it is super easy. It even makes carving a total cinch. Double win!!!
12. Shepherd’s Pie
This fantastic Christmas dinner recipe is both soul-satisfying and economical. The hearty casserole meal boasts a filling meat and vegetable sauce topped with buttery, creamy mashed potatoes. Then it’s baked to golden perfection. Another time-saver that lets the oven do a lot of the work.
13. Slow Cooker Lamb Leg
In many parts of the world, lamb recipes are for special occasion dinners. What better occasion than Christmas dinner? This slow-roasted, succulent leg of lamb with its well-browned and crispy exterior is flavored with creole seasoning, garlic, and rosemary. Oh yeah!
Christmas Dinner Side Dish Recipes
14. Hasselback Potatoes
These stunning golden brown sliced potatoes with crispy edges and a tender buttery inside are a beauty to behold. It’s an elegant dish for all occasions, yet it’s surprisingly easy to make. Oh, and talk about mouthwateringly good. Your guests will be talking about them for months.
15. Brown Gravy
What’s a Christmas dinner without gravy? I thought so! This easy brown gravy recipe is ready in 10-15 minutes, with or without drippings. Store-bought gravy has nothing on this deliciousness. And it only takes a couple of minutes longer to get that homemade exquisiteness.
16. Baked Mac and Cheese
Once you get the hang of homemade mac and cheese, you’ll never go back to the box. Not only is it classic comfort food, but it’s the perfect side for your Christmas dinner. What’s not to love with the creamy cheese sauce and perfectly cooked pasta for a soul-satisfying holiday experience? And, of course, I couldn’t resist spicing it up.
17. Candied Yams
This traditional Christmas dinner side dish is so incredibly fork-tender and perfectly sweet. The melt-in-your-mouth buttery brown sugar glaze with a zesty hint of lemon and orange will have your family singing your praises. And yes, you can use Garnet or Jewel sweet potatoes because they’re the same thing. 😉
18. Cheesy Potatoes au Gratin
Potatoes are just so incredibly delicious. Is there anyone out there that doesn’t just love them? Add cream, a few spices, breadcrumbs, and cheese, and you’ll be in heaven. Just to clarify, you can make scalloped potatoes, too. They have almost the same ingredients; they’re just layered slightly differently.
19. Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
Okay, so we do need veggies, even for the holidays. And this light and refreshing Shaved Brussel Sprouts Salad does the trick. Adding sweet dates, smoky Gouda cheese, and crisp apples make this recipe the highlight of your Christmas dinner!
20. Sweet Potato Soufflé
Mashed sweet potato made light and fluffy with eggs, then sweetened up with a little sugar and spice, makes the perfect side for your Christmas dinner. After all, who worries about healthy over the holidays?
Breads
21. Easy Dinner Rolls
Honestly, we all need easy during the holidays. And that is precisely what these super delicious dinner rolls are. You can have these on the table in just an hour from start to finish. And most of that hour doesn’t need a thing from you. Yay!!!
22. Skillet Cornbread
For a super moist, buttery cornbread recipe perfect for a Christmas dinner side, this is the one. The sweet and tang combine deliciously and are so soul-satisfying. Oh, and make enough for leftovers because it makes an awesome stuffing the next day.
23. No-Knead Bread
Do ya want to fill your home with the deliciousness of homemade bread without having to put all that time in kneading it? Then this recipe is for you! Tasty and deliciously crusty homemade bread that doesn’t require any kneading and only requires five ingredients for your family.
Desserts
24. Gingerbread Cake
This holiday classic takes me back. Remember Hansel and Gretel? Gingerbread has been around for a looooong time, and it’s easy to understand why. Super easy and super delicious with ginger, cinnamon, and other fabulous spice (and, of course, butter), it makes the perfect snack or dessert. It’s not super sweet, so I don’t mind the kiddos snacking on it to stave off the hunger pangs while dinner is cooking.
25. Ambrosia Salad
Ambrosia, or food of the gods, is loaded with tropical fruit, coconut, pecans, and a decadent tangy, sweet dressing. The best part? It all comes together in 10 minutes. Talk about the perfect recipe for your Christmas dinner.
26. Butter Cookies
What’s the holiday season without these sweet, crisp, and sugary Butter Cookies? They’re the perfect Christmas cookies to leave out for Santa. This melt-in-your-mouth holiday treat makes the ideal snack on even before the holidays actually arrive! And they’re easier to make than it looks – both in regular cute shapes and piped ones.
27. Snowball Cookies
I fell in love with these exquisite bites the first time I tried them. The irresistibly buttery and nutty melt-in-your-mouth texture is pure heaven. Oh yeah! The powdered sugar and butter are the secret to these classic Christmas cookies. And the pecans do their part, too.
28. Sticky Toffee Pudding
Moist, dense, and spongy mini cakes sweetened with pureed dates are sure to win you much-deserved accolades. The glorious gooey and sticky butterscotch sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream make the perfect Christmas dessert delight.
29. Vanilla Cake
You can do about anything with the versatile cake. You can beautifully dress it up depending on the occasion! Choose your favorite frosting and decorate it with mistletoe for the perfect Christmas dinner dessert.
30. New York Cheesecake
I remember being invited to a wedding where the wedding cake was a collection of different cheesecakes. I thought it was very creative and beautiful. So why can’t cheesecake make a Christmas dessert? So indulgent, especially with a fresh strawberry compote for Christmasy colors.
31. Devil’s Food Cake
Devilly delicious and sinfully decadent, this chocolate cake will satisfy the strongest of sweet tooth cravings. Every chocolatey bite is pure heaven. And the rich chocolate color is pure amazement. Check out the recipe to find out why.
32. Light Fruit Cake
Super classic fruit cake screams Christmas. This rich, luscious Madeira cake is not your ordinary dry fruit cake. Here’s one that you truly love and look forward to making. It is loaded with fruit, but it’s not too heavy or too sweet. And it makes a great breakfast with a steaming cup of coffee.
Drinks
33. Eggnog and Coquito
Nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves give this classic Christmas drink its holiday flair. And while eggnog is usually made with raw eggs, this recipe shows you how to gently cook them for a safer version without changing the rich, creamy texture. And if you prefer a delicious holiday drink without eggs, this egg-free Coquito from Puerto Rican is exquisite.
34. Sorrel Drink
The beautiful red color is completely natural and so holiday-looking. Also called Hibiscus or Jamaica, it’s taste-bud tantalizingly tart with the perfect sweetness and spice. It’s great as a refreshingly cold drink, but you can also heat it and serve it steaming hot in a mug if it’s chilly out. Yum!!!
35. Bailey’s Irish Cream
Oh, this one is so good. For a homemade Bailey’s Irish Cream recipe, coffee, whiskey, and cream are my idea of the perfect ending to the perfect Christmas dinner. You can share if you’d like, but I have to resist the temptation to keep it all to myself.
36. Mulled Wine
Popular around Christmas, this holiday drink, Mulled Wine, is your favorite wine on the next level. It’s spiced up with cozy warm flavors from cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, star anise, and a touch of citrusy flavor. This “hot wine” will surely make good company, not just on Christmas but throughout the winter. A drink that will keep you warm from head to toe!
Doris says
Hi Imma. Loving these desserts and intend to make some of them. I really wanted to make the Sticky Toffee Pudding but it opens to the Snowball Cookies. Am I doing something wrong? Was able to download others but the Cookie recipe shows for both the Pudding and the Cookies. Helpppppp! Really want that Toffee Pudding recipe. All your recipes just make my mouth water. Thanks a bunch.
Imma says
Thank you for catching that. It has been fixed.
Imma says
Thank you so much, David. Here is the full recipe for Eggnog https://www.africanbites.com/homemade-eggnog/. I am sure you will have answers to all of your questions. Let me know if still nee to know something. I would be happy to help you 🙂
Paula Brown says
You sweet precious delicious cook. I have a lot recipes at my age, 67, and without a doubt you have the best. Not only the best! But so delicious looking that I know just by wondering through all of them I’ve gained 10 lbs.
God Bless
Imma says
You are so sweet, thank you! Stay tuned for more amazing recipes.
Machewe Phaswana says
Really appreciate the Christmas recipe book, is helping especially us young women who started the family as for me I use your tips always .Thanks
Annie says
I am going to love making these recipes